To change professions or not

Bill,

I too made a career change. I was going into business and decided myself that sitting behind a desk all day would kill me. So I made the switch and jumped into it head first. I started volunteering, got my EMT-B on my own time, and began testing and practicing my interview skills, all of which helped. You sure can't be in the fire service for money and every dept. will have a different time table for when and how you can promote, so no two departments will necessarily be the same. Good luck.